Richmond, VA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/29/2011 -- The resurgent focus on health and wellness in today's lifestyle has created a rather confounding paradox: diet sodas and other diet treats can actually endanger your weight loss plan.

While Americans typically don't like the government intervening in what they put in their mouths, appending the word “diet” to almost any food has become a double-edged sword, says Ellen Wright, website manager of Weight Loss Center.net - http://www.weight-loss-center.net.

There are other ways to mislabel foods like the words “reduced fat,” “less sugar” and “reduced calorie” and the average consumer can't really distinguish the ingredients at the back of the package and how sugar is possibly reduced. “Like for example, how much is too much sugar in food that will result to weight gain or diabetes and other diseases?” she adds.

The first defense for the consumers against mislabeling is to educate themselves through many resources on weight loss online. On the downside, there are thousands and thousands of articles on the Internet that it can be a challenge to sift through all of them to find out which information is accurate.

“Is 50 grams of sugar better than 100 grams? Yes. But can you make the so-called diet treat as a meal substitute just because it has less sugar in it? That is the question,” she says.

Consider the diet sodas for example, which use aspartame as a sweetener in place of sugar. While there are studies that suggest that it can be harmful to your health, most of these are inconclusive. There are also researches that link diet sodas to higher risks of stroke or weight gain. The San Antonio Heart Study which was first presented to the public in June 2005, showed that those who are addicted to diet sodas are 65 percent more likely to become overweight while 41 percent are more likely to become obese. Weight gain can easily lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.

And there are the indirect causes, like the false assurance one will get when drinking diet sodas and so consume more food than necessary. Diet sodas, Ms. Wright explains, create a vicious cycle as it also boosts the cravings for more sugar and also cause you to become even more hungry, which will only be satiated by drinking more soda.

Ms. Wright points out that sodas are linked with fast foods and unhealthy food options, so if you can't get rid of your soda fix, and substituting regular to diet, there's something wrong with your diet in the first place.

She says that any information about weight loss can be found in their website. What makes it different from all the other online sites is that it is run by dieters who contribute articles, blogs, recipes based on their own successful experiences.

She explains: “We personally know about the challenges of weight loss and hope to help you discover how to reach your healthy weight loss goals. The first step to successful dieting and weight loss is to educate yourself - not just about fad diet programs, or calorie counting, or exercise routines, but about your health in general and how to live a healthier lifestyle for the rest of your life. Successful weight loss requires life-long weight management and commitment beyond cutting calories and we can help you do it now.”